Astral, oil on linen

Astral, oil on linen

1,850.00

Astral, oil on linen

1,850.00

I'm having a lot of fun with the amorphous, loose feel of oil painting. It's so different from working in pastel, and it's just the infusion of "new and different" that I need in my painting process at this point in my art career.

Nonetheless, as I develop my voice in this medium, I still love down-the-street views in cities, just like many of my subjects in pastel. In this new composition from midtown Manhattan, I was immediately drawn to the strong shapes of the tall buildings in the distance set against the rich, vibrant lights in the foreground. This subject was a wonderful way for me to leverage the oil medium, especially with the play of colors in the sky and foreground pavement.

Oddly enough, the title for this piece came to me after I heard a segment on "Science Friday," one of my favorite radio programs that I listen to while working in my studio each week. The term "astral" was used in a story about astronomy while I was painting this piece. Sometimes I'll hear a new song or a name while painting and it will stick with me. When I later Googled this term, I found this definition on Wikipedia, "It is the world of the celestial spheres, crossed by the soul in its astral body on the way to being born and after death..."

OK, I know some of you are rolling your eyes right now. But I liked this translation because it can be applied here: the foreground cab makes the turn into the street and dives into the energy of the city ahead, as if it is crossing between two different worlds right before our eyes.